Americans United - in god we trusthttp://www.au.org/tags/god-we-trust
enLegal Lesson: Texas Lt. Gov. Is Clueless About American History And The First Amendmenthttp://www.au.org/blogs/wall-of-separation/legal-lesson-texas-lt-gov-is-clueless-about-american-history-and-the-first
<a href="/about/people/simon-brown">Simon Brown</a><div class="field field-name-field-blog-type field-type-taxonomy-term-reference field-label-hidden"><div class="field-items"><div class="field-item even"><a href="/blogs/wall-of-separation">Wall of Separation</a></div></div></div><div class="field field-name-field-callout field-type-text-long field-label-hidden"><div class="field-items"><div class="field-item even">At the close of his letter, Patrick attempted to outline all the great things he has done in defense of his idea of “religious liberty.” Spoiler: they’re not so great.</div></div></div><div class="field field-name-body field-type-text-with-summary field-label-hidden"><div class="prose"><p>It seems Texas Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick has a poor understanding of both American history and the First Amendment. So let’s take a few moments to educate him.</p><p>In <a href="http://digital.olivesoftware.com/Olive/ODE/SanAntonioExpressNews/LandingPage/LandingPage.aspx?href=U0FFTi8yMDE2LzAxLzAy&amp;pageno=MTU.&amp;entity=QXIwMTUwMQ..&amp;view=ZW50aXR5">a recent viewpoint piece</a> published by the <em>San Antonio Express-News</em>, Patrick attempted to argue that religious freedom is under attack in the United States, which is contradictory to America’s “Christian nation” roots.</p><p>“Religious liberty is the underpinning of our nation and constitution, and the battle to protect that precious freedom should be fought just as strongly today as it was in 1776,” Patrick wrote.</p><p>No problem so far. But Patrick’s statements headed downhill pretty quickly from there as he went on to claim that the Founding Fathers were a bunch of ministers who created “a nation that was founded upon the Old &amp; New Testament.”</p><p>“It’s no wonder that nearly half of the men who signed the Declaration of Independence held seminary or Bible school degrees,” Patrick claimed.</p><p>Where in any of America’s early documents does it say that we were founded on the Bible? The answer is nowhere. And even if half of the signers of the Declaration did have religious training, so what? That does not prove they intended our nation to be officially Christian. Besides, the Declaration is not a governing document. It is essentially an announcement to the world that we were serious about separating from Great Britain. It’s an important historical document, but it doesn’t outline our form of government.</p><p>It’s telling that Patrick referenced the signers of the Declaration, rather than the Constitution, because he probably knows deep down that the Constitution is a secular document that established a secular government.</p><p>Patrick went on to complain about a bunch of supposed threats to “religious freedom” in Texas, including “challenges to our national motto, ‘In God We Trust,’ on police cars in Childress; city officials in Orange <a href="http://abc13.com/religion/city-nixes-nativity-scene-after-atheists-ask-to-display-sign/1123983/">removing a public Christmas nativity scene</a> out of litigation fears from a group of atheists or Beaumont city leaders <a href="http://www.beaumontenterprise.com/news/article/Beaumont-PD-officers-say-city-nixed-lunch-hour-6707368.php">initially blocking police officers</a> from voluntarily participating in Bible studies during their lunch hour.”</p><p>When it comes to “In God We Trust,” it is our national motto, but it wasn’t given that status until the 1950s as a slap against “godless communism.” Other phrases that were actually used during the founding period, such as <em>E Pluribus Unum</em> (“Out Of Many, One”) and <em>Novus Ordo Seclorum</em> (“A New Order Of the Ages”) are secular.</p><p>As for Patrick’s “war on Christmas” story, we have <a href="https://au.org/church-state/december-2015-church-state/featured/bogus-battle">detailed at length</a> how the so-called “war” is a Religious Right construct intended to fuel “religious persecution” claims and make money. In this specific case, the Orange nativity scene stood on government property for decades. Last year, a group of atheists asked for equal time and sought to put up a sign next to the crèche. When city officials refused, the only option was to remove the nativity. So they did – in keeping with the requirements of the First Amendment.</p><p>The Bible-studying cops are permitted to hold study sessions in a police department conference room during their free time. Some officers were under the impression that they could not study the Bible at all on government property, but unsurprisingly Patrick misrepresented the situation. In what the city of Beaumont later called a “misunderstanding,” officers were informed they could not hold Bible study sessions in the more than 30 buildings and facilities owned by the city that are for business-use only. The officers interpreted this, wrongly, to mean they could not study religious texts anywhere during their breaks. The matter has been cleared up.</p><p>At the close of his letter, Patrick attempted to outline all the great things he has done in defense of his idea of “religious liberty.” Spoiler: they’re not so great.</p><p>“I took a stand to support religious freedoms on each of these issues and previously led the way to have ‘In God We Trust’ permanently placed in the [Texas] Senate chamber, added ‘Under God’ to our state pledge, co-authored the ‘<a href="https://www.au.org/blogs/wall-of-separation/freedom-from-foolishness-texas-gov-misconstrues-religious-liberty">Merry Christmas’ bill</a> to combat political correctness in our schools and established an annual Christmas Tree tradition in the Texas Senate for the first time in at least 70 years.”</p><p>All of those things represent government endorsements of belief over non-belief; almost all of them would be upsetting to the Founding Fathers, who took great pains to create a secular government. Each of these actions did nothing to enhance actual religious liberty in Texas. Instead, they pandered to the Religious Right and made non-believers and others feel like outsiders.</p><p>Patrick also said he “charged the Senate State Affairs Committee with the task of studying and recommending how the State of Texas should work to affirm the constitutionally guaranteed religious liberty protections of all Texans.”</p><p>Well, Mr. Patrick, that is an easy request. All the Senate has to do is nothing since the Constitution already guarantees tremendous religious freedom for all Americans. Of course if you had actually bothered to read the First Amendment you would already know that.</p></div></div><div class="tags clearfix"><div class="field-label">Issues:&nbsp;</div><div class="field-items"><span class="field-item"><a href="/issues/responding-common-attacks-church-state-separation">Responding to Common Attacks on Church-State Separation</a></span>, <span class="field-item"><a href="/issues/history-and-origins-church-state-separation">History and Origins of Church-State Separation</a></span></div></div><div class="tags clearfix"><div class="field-label">Tags:&nbsp;</div><div class="field-items"><span class="field-item"><a href="/tags/texas-lt-gov-dan-patrick">Texas Lt. Gov Dan Patrick</a></span>, <span class="field-item"><a href="/tags/war-christmas">war on christmas</a></span>, <span class="field-item"><a href="/tags/declaration-of-independence">Declaration of Independence</a></span>, <span class="field-item"><a href="/tags/founding-fathers">Founding Fathers</a></span>, <span class="field-item"><a href="/tags/christian-nation-myth">Christian nation myth</a></span>, <span class="field-item"><a href="/tags/god-we-trust">in god we trust</a></span></div></div>Tue, 05 Jan 2016 16:43:00 +0000Simon Brown11655 at http://www.au.orghttp://www.au.org/blogs/wall-of-separation/legal-lesson-texas-lt-gov-is-clueless-about-american-history-and-the-first#commentsOur Top Stories: Ten Prominent Church-State Flaps From 2015 http://www.au.org/blogs/wall-of-separation/our-top-stories-ten-prominent-church-state-flaps-from-2015
<a href="/about/people/rob-boston">Rob Boston</a><div class="field field-name-field-blog-type field-type-taxonomy-term-reference field-label-hidden"><div class="field-items"><div class="field-item even"><a href="/blogs/wall-of-separation">Wall of Separation</a></div></div></div><div class="field field-name-field-callout field-type-text-long field-label-hidden"><div class="field-items"><div class="field-item even">Here&#039;s a list of the top church-state stories from 2015. </div></div></div><div class="field field-name-body field-type-text-with-summary field-label-hidden"><div class="prose"><p>As 2015 winds down, you’ll encounter a lot of lists – best movies of the year, what’s hot and what’s not and so on. Well, here’s our version of that: a list of what we at “The Wall of Separation” consider to be the Top Ten church-state stories of 2015:</p><p><em>The U.S. Supreme Court upholds marriage equality; Religious Right backlash is swift and severe. </em>A 5-4 vote by the Supreme Court in June extended marriage equality nationwide. Although nothing in the decision requires houses of worship to perform or even acknowledge such unions, Religious Right groups <a href="https://www.au.org/church-state/september-2015-church-state/featured/mad-men">went ballistic</a>. The ruling in <em><a href="https://www.oyez.org/cases/2014/14-556">Obergefell v. Hodges</a></em> also led to a round of “refusal” cases – government officials (such as county clerk Kim Davis in Kentucky) and business owners insisting that they have a religious-freedom right to refuse service to LGBT people. In response, Americans United launched a new project, <a href="http://www.protectthyneighbor.org/">Protect Thy Neighbor</a>, to assist people whose rights have been denied on religious grounds.</p><p><em>Republican presidential hopefuls play to the Religious Right. </em>GOP presidential front-runner Donald Trump unleashed a variety of proposals that would likely violate the First Amendment, including suggestions to shut down mosques and <a href="https://www.au.org/blogs/wall-of-separation/it-can-happen-here-trump-call-for-excluding-muslims-from-us-has-disturbing">bar Muslims from traveling</a> to the United States. Trump and other Republican hopefuls attempted to placate the Religious Right by making proposals that many observers consider extreme. U.S. Sen. Marco Rubio (R-Fla.) vowed to <a href="http://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/marco-rubio-meet-the-press-marriage_566d9098e4b0fccee16ee695">overturn marriage equality</a> and U.S. Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Texas) said only <a href="https://www.au.org/blogs/wall-of-separation/on-your-knees-cruz-insists-that-good-leaders-need-god">people of faith</a> should serve as president. Retired neurosurgeon Ben Carson attacked the teaching of evolution in public schools. Religious issues roiled the race as candidates attempted to appeal to an increasingly far-right party base.</p><p><em>Fallout from the Supreme Court’s 2014 ruling on legislative prayers accelerates. </em>Communities nationwide grappled with how to implement a 2014 Supreme Court decision permitting local governments to open their meetings with prayers. The high court’s ruling called for diversity, but in some communities, officials attempted to bar Muslims, atheists and others. Americans United <a href="https://www.au.org/church-state/september-2015-church-state/featured/atheists-excluded">filed a lawsuit</a> in Brevard County, Fla., on behalf of a humanist group that wants to give an invocation. In Coolidge, Ariz., AU attorneys persuaded the city council to drop a blatantly <a href="https://www.au.org/church-state/november-2015-church-state/featured/christians-only-prayer">discriminatory policy</a> that allowed only Christians to deliver opening prayers.</p><p><em>Courts issue a mixed bag of rulings on school vouchers. </em>The North Carolina Supreme Court <a href="http://www.wral.com/nc-supreme-court-says-vouchers-are-constitutional/14791349/">upheld that state’s voucher plan</a>, even though most of the money goes to private religious schools. But the Colorado Supreme Court <a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/local/education/colorado-supreme-court-strikes-down-school-voucher-program/2015/06/29/a382768e-1e75-11e5-bf41-c23f5d3face1_story.html">invalidated a plan</a> in Douglas County. In Nevada, legislators passed a wide-reaching, statewide voucher plan. Americans United and the American Civil Liberties Union are <a href="https://www.au.org/church-state/october-2015-church-state/people-events/americans-united-joins-lawsuit-challenging">challenging it in court</a>. (In a non-courtroom victory, an attempt to add a sweeping voucher program to a new federal education bill <a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/local/education/in-the-senate-another-defeat-for-school-vouchers/2015/07/14/b979b49c-2a47-11e5-a250-42bd812efc09_story.html">failed.</a>)</p><p><em>Ten Commandments monument is removed from Oklahoma Capitol grounds. </em>The Oklahoma Supreme Court ruled that a Ten Commandments monument on the grounds of the state Capitol violated the state constitution and must be removed. State lawmakers grumbled about the matter and have threatened to alter the constitution, but the monument <a href="http://bigstory.ap.org/article/b6e5b41255a944e480a33e1330d2a95e/security-increased-around-oklahoma-ten-commandments">was removed</a> and taken to private property. (The case was brought by the American Civil Liberties Union, and the lead plaintiff was Bruce Prescott, a former member of the American United Board of Trustees.)</p><p><em>‘Ark Park’ flap in Kentucky goes to court: </em>Creationist Ken Ham of Answers in Genesis filed a federal lawsuit demanding that a fundamentalist-oriented theme park based on the biblical story of Noah’s Ark receive a package of tax breaks and financial incentives from the state. Americans United sought to intervene in the lawsuit on behalf of taxpayers. Although the court <a href="https://www.au.org/church-state/december-2015-church-state/people-events/au-s-efforts-to-intervene-in-ark-park-case">didn’t allow this</a>, it did permit AU to file a brief in the <em>Ark Encounter v. Stewart</em> case.</p><p><em>Efforts to portray crosses as war memorials fail. </em>Controversy arose in the small city of Knoxville, Iowa, after Americans United told officials there to <a href="https://www.au.org/blogs/wall-of-separation/park-proposal-iowa-town-needs-a-memorial-for-all-of-its-veterans">remove a cross</a> from a public park. The cross had been erected without permission and was allegedly a war memorial. The issue dragged on for months before the city council voted to remove the sectarian symbol. A secular monument was subsequently erected. In a separate story, <a href="http://www.latimes.com/local/lanow/la-me-ln-cross-sold-20150720-story.html">long-running litigation</a> over a towering cross atop a mountain near San Diego came to a close when the land was sold to a private group. Although the cross was originally erected for clearly religious purposes, supporters later claimed it was a war memorial.</p><p><em>Police departments nationwide place “In God We Trust” signs on patrol cars. </em>A fad took hold of police and sheriff’s departments posting “In God We Trust” signs on patrol cars. It’s hard to determine where the trend started, but it had <a href="https://www.au.org/church-state/october-2015-church-state/people-events/in-god-we-trust-stickers-appearing-on-police">spread to several states</a> by the end of the year. Critics said the signs give the impression that religious people are more important to law enforcement than non-religious ones. Defenders said it’s not a big deal since “In God We Trust” is the national motto.</p><p><em>Creationism controversies continue to plague public schools: </em>Christian fundamentalists continued their efforts to water down the teaching of evolution in public schools. In Maine, a state education official <a href="https://www.au.org/church-state/december-2015-church-state/people-events/maine-education-official-under-fire-for-past">was criticized</a> for promoting creationism. Activist Zack Kopplin <a href="https://www.au.org/church-state/julyaugust-2015-church-state/au-bulletin/activist-says-la-public-schools-teach">found evidence</a> of creationism in many Louisiana public schools. A federal court rejected <a href="https://www.au.org/blogs/wall-of-separation/extinction-event-court-tosses-strange-legal-complaint-against-evolution-in">a strange lawsuit</a> that attempted to ban the teaching of evolution in West Virginia public schools. In Glendive, Mont., officials at a public school <a href="https://www.au.org/church-state/julyaugust-2015-church-state/people-events/montana-school-cancels-field-trip-to">called off plans</a> to take third-graders to a local creationist attraction after Americans United wrote a letter of complaint. School officials cancelled the trip but made it clear they weren’t happy about it. Americans United said the incident, and others like it, are proof that anti-evolution forces have not given up, despite a string of courtroom loses.</p><p><em>The Supreme Court rules on two religious-liberty cases. </em>The U.S. Supreme Court ruled unanimously in two cases concerning individual religious-freedom claims. One case involved a <a href="https://www.au.org/church-state/may-2014-church-state/featured/the-prisoners-dilemma">prisoner in Arkansas</a> who wanted to wear a short beard for religious reasons. The other concerned a <a href="https://www.au.org/church-state/julyaugust-2015-church-state/people-events/supreme-court-rules-in-favor-of-muslim-in">Muslim woman</a> who was denied a job in an Abercrombie &amp; Fitch store because she wore a headscarf. Americans United pointed out that both of these situations involved religious liberty claims that affected individuals only and that they didn’t infringe on the rights of others.</p><p>P.S. “The Wall of Separation” will be on hiatus until Jan. 4. Happy New Year!</p><p> </p></div></div><div class="tags clearfix"><div class="field-label">Issues:&nbsp;</div><div class="field-items"><span class="field-item"><a href="/issues/creationism-evolution">Creationism &amp; Evolution</a></span>, <span class="field-item"><a href="/issues/vouchers">Vouchers</a></span>, <span class="field-item"><a href="/issues/prayer-at-government-events-and-legislative-meetings">Prayer at Government Events and Legislative Meetings</a></span>, <span class="field-item"><a href="/issues/government-sponsored-religious-displays">Government-Sponsored Religious Displays</a></span>, <span class="field-item"><a href="/issues/religious-mottos-pledges-and-resolutions">Religious Mottos, Pledges and Resolutions</a></span>, <span class="field-item"><a href="/issues/workplace-discrimination-exemptions-religious-practice">Discrimination, Exemptions &amp; Religious Practice in the Workplace</a></span>, <span class="field-item"><a href="/issues/religious-refusals-and-rfra">Religious Refusals and RFRA</a></span>, <span class="field-item"><a href="/issues/religious-groups-involvement-in-candidate-elections">Religious Groups’ Involvement in Candidate Elections</a></span>, <span class="field-item"><a href="/issues/marriage">Marriage</a></span></div></div><div class="tags clearfix"><div class="field-label">Tags:&nbsp;</div><div class="field-items"><span class="field-item"><a href="/tags/creationism">creationism</a></span>, <span class="field-item"><a href="/tags/ark-park">Ark Park</a></span>, <span class="field-item"><a href="/tags/vouchers">vouchers</a></span>, <span class="field-item"><a href="/tags/ten-commandaments">ten commandaments</a></span>, <span class="field-item"><a href="/tags/same-sex-marriage">same-sex marriage</a></span>, <span class="field-item"><a href="/tags/ken-ham">Ken Ham</a></span>, <span class="field-item"><a href="/tags/god-we-trust">in god we trust</a></span>, <span class="field-item"><a href="/tags/crosses">crosses</a></span>, <span class="field-item"><a href="/tags/donald-trump">Donald Trump</a></span>, <span class="field-item"><a href="/tags/marco-rubio">Marco Rubio</a></span>, <span class="field-item"><a href="/tags/ted-cruz">Ted Cruz</a></span></div></div>Thu, 31 Dec 2015 14:52:53 +0000Rob Boston11623 at http://www.au.orghttp://www.au.org/blogs/wall-of-separation/our-top-stories-ten-prominent-church-state-flaps-from-2015#commentsSilly Sheriff: Ga. County Top Cop Says Agree With Me On Religion Or Get Outhttp://www.au.org/blogs/wall-of-separation/silly-sheriff-ga-county-top-cop-says-agree-with-me-on-religion-or-get-out
<a href="/about/people/simon-brown">Simon Brown</a><div class="field field-name-field-blog-type field-type-taxonomy-term-reference field-label-hidden"><div class="field-items"><div class="field-item even"><a href="/blogs/wall-of-separation">Wall of Separation</a></div></div></div><div class="field field-name-field-callout field-type-text-long field-label-hidden"><div class="field-items"><div class="field-item even">Sometimes political correctness does go too far, but Sheriff Jolley’s sign is not a real effort to rein in the so-called “PC police.” Instead, he seeks a nation in which everyone shares a narrow set of beliefs or finds another place to live.</div></div></div><div class="field field-name-body field-type-text-with-summary field-label-hidden"><div class="prose"><p>As far as the sheriff of a Georgia county is concerned, anyone who doesn’t agree with him on religion should find another place to live or visit.</p><p>Mike Jolley is the sheriff of Harris County, which has a population of about 32,000. Jolley, who is apparently fed up with what he deems “political correctness” (but is actually tolerance), decided to send a message of exclusion to anyone who passes by his office. So with his own money, he <a href="http://www.11alive.com/story/news/local/2015/11/24/georgia-sheriff-installs-politically-incorrect-welcome-sign/76342448/">posted a sign</a> that reads:</p><p>“Welcome to Harris County, Georgia! WARNING: Harris County is politically incorrect. We say: Merry Christmas, God Bless America and In God We Trust; We salute our troops and our flag. If this offends you… LEAVE!”</p><p>That sign has, unsurprisingly, caused something of a stir locally. Jolley told WLTZ, the Atlanta NBC affiliate, that everyone has the right to free expression.</p><p>“I spent 20 years in the Army to give everyone the right not to agree with it and to voice their opinion if they’re not, and that's fine,” he said. </p><p>How confused can one guy get? In Jolley’s case, extremely confused. If Jolley were acting in his capacity as a private citizen, he could put up such a sign without issue. But the placement of an official-looking sign outside the sheriff’s office looks a lot like a government endorsement of belief over non-belief and possibly a violation of the First Amendment.</p><p>Beyond that, the sign calls Jolley’s ability to do his job into question. He has sent a message of intimidation to anyone who does not believe in God – or celebrate Christmas, for that matter. This action casts doubt on his ability to treat everyone fairly.</p><p>And most importantly, Jolley’s sentiment is anti-American. Jolley claims to be a patriot, but he obviously doesn’t get that the United States is intended to be an open and inclusive place. By telling people who don’t agree with him to “leave,” Jolley is defying the true spirit of the country. </p><p>It’s particularly troubling that someone who served in the military feels the way Jolley does. As he noted, service members fight for the preservation of free speech. But Jolley seems to feel that his speech rights are more important than the rights of a lot of other people. They aren’t. And when Jolley wore his uniform, he defended the Constitution for everyone – not just those who think the way he does.</p><p>Now more than ever, <a href="https://au.org/blogs/wall-of-separation/freedom-vs-fear-restricting-religious-liberty-isnt-the-answer-to-terrorism">America needs to be a place of inclusion</a>. Sometimes political correctness does go too far, but Jolley’s sign is not a real effort to rein in the so-called “PC police.” Instead, he seeks a nation in which everyone shares a narrow set of beliefs or finds another place to live. That is a step on the road to theocracy, which would be a whole lot scarier than mere “political correctness.” </p></div></div><div class="tags clearfix"><div class="field-label">Issues:&nbsp;</div><div class="field-items"><span class="field-item"><a href="/issues/religious-mottos-pledges-and-resolutions">Religious Mottos, Pledges and Resolutions</a></span></div></div><div class="tags clearfix"><div class="field-label">Tags:&nbsp;</div><div class="field-items"><span class="field-item"><a href="/tags/harris-county-georgia">Harris County Georgia</a></span>, <span class="field-item"><a href="/tags/sheriff-mike-jolley">Sheriff Mike Jolley</a></span>, <span class="field-item"><a href="/tags/god-we-trust">in god we trust</a></span>, <span class="field-item"><a href="/tags/god-bless-america">God Bless America</a></span>, <span class="field-item"><a href="/tags/political-correctness">political correctness</a></span>, <span class="field-item"><a href="/tags/merry-christmas">Merry Christmas</a></span></div></div>Wed, 25 Nov 2015 16:24:28 +0000Simon Brown11560 at http://www.au.orghttp://www.au.org/blogs/wall-of-separation/silly-sheriff-ga-county-top-cop-says-agree-with-me-on-religion-or-get-out#commentsAla. County Police Cars Lose Bible Verse Decals Following AU Interventionhttp://www.au.org/church-state/november-2015-church-state/people-events/ala-county-police-cars-lose-bible-verse-decals
<div class="field field-name-body field-type-text-with-summary field-label-hidden"><div class="prose"><p>Stickers with biblical verses will no longer be attached to police cars in an Alabama county, thanks to Americans United.</p><p>The Houston County Sheriff’s Department put stickers on its vehicles that read “Blessed Are The Peacemakers,” a Bible verse from Matthew 5:9. That message encircled the official badge of the department. After Americans United got word of this clear instance of government endorsing religion, it sent a complaint letter to the sheriff’s department in early August. (The Wisconsin-based Freedom From Religion Foundation later sent a letter as well.)</p><p>The Dothan <em>Eagle</em> reported that in late September, Houston County Administrator Bill Dempsey advised Sheriff Donald Valenza to ditch the decals. Valenza did so.</p><p>Unsurprisingly, Dempsey said he made the decision based on practicality – not because it was the right thing to do constitutionally.</p><p>“We have been in meetings with the sheriff for the past week, and we told him we support what’s written on the stickers and we support the spirit of it,” Dempsey said. “But unfortunately, from a legal perspective, we could spend hundreds of thousands and still likely lose.”</p><p>Dempsey was right about the risk of a costly lawsuit. In its letter to Dempsey and Valenza, Americans United explained that the “incorporation of a Biblical quotation into an official Sheriff’s Office seal runs afoul of numerous court rulings striking down governmental seals that incorporate religious imagery or messages.”</p><p>AU’s letter also noted that Valenza made it clear that he supported the message on the stickers, which could give the impression that those who believe in God will receive better treatment from the county sheriff’s department than non-believers or non-Christians.</p><p>“Really, it was for morale,” Valenza said in August, during one of his few interviews about the decals. “It’s for encouragement.” </p><p>Given the legal precedent, Americans United felt it had a strong case. Unlike the inclusion of “In God We Trust” on money, which several federal courts have deemed an acceptable form of “ceremonial deism,” the use of a specific Bible verse on police cars incorporated into the department’s official seal left little doubt that the sheriff sought to promote belief over non-belief.</p><p>While this case presented favorable facts for defenders of church-state separation, it is part of a worrisome trend in which police departments nationwide are placing religious messages on their vehicles. In recent months, stickers bearing the words “In God We Trust” have appeared on police cars in several states, including Illinois, Florida, Missouri, Kentucky and North Carolina.</p></div></div><div class="field field-name-field-cs-department field-type-taxonomy-term-reference field-label-hidden"><div class="field-items"><div class="field-item even">People &amp; Events</div></div></div><div class="tags clearfix"><div class="field-label">Issues:&nbsp;</div><div class="field-items"><span class="field-item"><a href="/issues/government-sponsored-religious-displays">Government-Sponsored Religious Displays</a></span>, <span class="field-item"><a href="/issues/religious-mottos-pledges-and-resolutions">Religious Mottos, Pledges and Resolutions</a></span>, <span class="field-item"><a href="/issues/outside-workplace-discrimination-exemptions-religious-practice-including-military-prisons">Institutional Discrimination, Exemptions &amp; Religious Practice (Including Military, Prisons &amp; Healthcare)</a></span></div></div><div class="field field-name-field-cs-issue field-type-node-reference field-label-above"><div class="field-label">Magazine Issue:&nbsp;</div><div class="field-items"><div class="field-item even"><article id="node-11500" class="node node-church-state-issue clearfix">
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<div class="field field-name-field-image field-type-image field-label-hidden"><div class="field-items"><div class="field-item even"><img src="http://www.au.org/files/styles/cs_cover_thumbnail/public/Web%20cover.jpg?itok=fK4Z8m94" width="75" height="96" alt="" /></div></div></div> </div>
<h2><a href="/church-state/november-2015-church-state">
The <span class="cs-month field">November</span> <span class="cs-year field"><span class="date-display-single">2015</span></span> issue of <em>Church &amp; State</em>
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<h3 class="field-content"><a href="/church-state/november-2015-church-state/featured/lost-weekend">Lost Weekend</a></h3>
<h4>Partisanship And Extremism On Display At The Religious Right&#039;s Values Voter Summit</h4> </div>
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<h3 class="field-content"><a href="/church-state/november-2015-church-state/featured/christians-only-prayer">&#039;Christians-Only&#039; Prayer?</a></h3>
<h4>Arizona Town Drops Controversial Invocation Policy After Americans United Complaint</h4> </div>
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<h3 class="field-content"><a href="/church-state/november-2015-church-state/featured/liberty-to-force-fundamentalism-onto-others">Liberty To Force Fundamentalism Onto Others?</a></h3>
<h4>Spurred By Its Defense Of Kim Davis, A Religious Right Legal Group Finds Itself Thrust Into The Spotlight</h4> </div>
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<h3 class="field-content"><a href="/church-state/november-2015-church-state/featured/americans-united-in-action">Americans United in Action</a></h3>
<h4>Staff Members and Activists Support Church-State Separation Nationwide</h4> </div>
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<div class="cs-department" id="section-people--events"> <h3>People &amp; Events</h3>
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<div class="views-field views-field-title"> <span class="field-content"><a href="/church-state/november-2015-church-state/people-events/controversy-swirls-over-pope-s-meeting-with">Controversy Swirls Over Pope’s Meeting With Kim Davis During D.C. Visit</a></span> </div></li>
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<div class="views-field views-field-title"> <span class="field-content"><a href="/church-state/november-2015-church-state/people-events/oregon-bakery-owners-decline-to-pay-fine-over">Oregon Bakery Owners Decline To Pay Fine Over Wedding Refusal </a></span> </div></li>
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<div class="views-field views-field-title"> <span class="field-content"><a href="/church-state/november-2015-church-state/people-events/nj-town-drops-sponsorship-of-papal-mass-after">N.J. Town Drops Sponsorship Of Papal Mass After AU Complaint</a></span> </div></li>
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<div class="views-field views-field-title"> <span class="field-content"><a href="/church-state/november-2015-church-state/people-events/carson-says-muslims-are-not-fit-to-be">Carson Says Muslims Are Not Fit To Be President Of United States </a></span> </div></li>
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<div class="views-field views-field-title"> <span class="field-content"><a href="/church-state/november-2015-church-state/people-events/right-wing-legal-group-attacks-americans">Right-Wing Legal Group Attacks Americans United, AU Attorney Fires Back</a></span> </div></li>
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<div class="views-field views-field-title"> <span class="field-content"><a href="/church-state/november-2015-church-state/people-events/au-warns-kan-official-to-stop-promoting">AU Warns Kan. Official To Stop Promoting Religious Events To Employees</a></span> </div></li>
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<div class="views-field views-field-title"> <span class="field-content"><a href="/church-state/november-2015-church-state/people-events/ala-county-police-cars-lose-bible-verse-decals">Ala. County Police Cars Lose Bible Verse Decals Following AU Intervention</a></span> </div></li>
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<div class="views-field views-field-title"> <span class="field-content"><a href="/church-state/november-2015-church-state/books-ideas/teaching-not-preaching">Teaching, Not Preaching</a></span> </div></li>
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<div class="views-field views-field-title"> <span class="field-content"><a href="/church-state/november-2015-church-state/perspective/dakota-denver-and-the-desert-details-from-a">Dakota, Denver, And The Desert: Details From A Recent Trip</a></span> </div></li>
</ul></div><div class="cs-department" id="section-editorial"> <h3>Editorial</h3>
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<div class="views-field views-field-title"> <span class="field-content"><a href="/church-state/november-2015-church-state/editorial/dismissing-jefferson-more-bad-history-from-the">Dismissing Jefferson: More Bad History From The Religious Right </a></span> </div></li>
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<div class="views-field views-field-title"> <span class="field-content"><a href="/church-state/november-2015-church-state/au-bulletin/au-opposes-religious-exemptions-in-health-care">AU Opposes Religious Exemptions In Health-Care Law</a></span> </div></li>
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<div class="views-field views-field-title"> <span class="field-content"><a href="/church-state/november-2015-church-state/au-bulletin/okla-officials-remove-ten-commandment-monument">Okla. Officials Remove Ten Commandment Monument</a></span> </div></li>
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<div class="views-field views-field-title"> <span class="field-content"><a href="/church-state/november-2015-church-state/au-bulletin/la-christian-school-closes-after-loss-of-voucher">La. Christian School Closes After Loss Of Voucher Aid </a></span> </div></li>
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<div class="views-field views-field-title"> <span class="field-content"><a href="/church-state/november-2015-church-state/au-bulletin/tenn-county-official-proposes-god-s-wrath">Tenn. County Official Proposes ‘God’s Wrath’ Resolution</a></span> </div></li>
<li class="views-row views-row-5 views-row-odd">
<div class="views-field views-field-title"> <span class="field-content"><a href="/church-state/november-2015-church-state/au-bulletin/federal-court-tosses-w-va-anti-evolution-lawsuit">Federal Court Tosses W. Va. Anti-Evolution Lawsuit</a></span> </div></li>
<li class="views-row views-row-6 views-row-even">
<div class="views-field views-field-title"> <span class="field-content"><a href="/church-state/november-2015-church-state/au-bulletin/ala-city-cites-religion-to-ban-saggy-pants">Ala. City Cites Religion To Ban Saggy Pants </a></span> </div></li>
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<div class="views-field views-field-title"> <span class="field-content"><a href="/church-state/november-2015-church-state/au-bulletin/calif-archdiocese-must-face-sexual-harassment">Calif. Archdiocese Must Face Sexual Harassment Suit</a></span> </div></li>
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<div class="views-field views-field-title"> <span class="field-content"><a href="/church-state/november-2015-church-state/au-bulletin/around-the-world-malaysian-high-court-limits">Around The World: Malaysian High Court Limits Freedom Of Expression</a></span> </div></li>
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</div></div></div><div class="tags clearfix"><div class="field-label">Tags:&nbsp;</div><div class="field-items"><span class="field-item"><a href="/tags/police">police</a></span>, <span class="field-item"><a href="/tags/god-we-trust">in god we trust</a></span>, <span class="field-item"><a href="/tags/alabama">Alabama</a></span></div></div>Sun, 01 Nov 2015 00:00:00 +0000Timothy Ritz11522 at http://www.au.orghttp://www.au.org/church-state/november-2015-church-state/people-events/ala-county-police-cars-lose-bible-verse-decals#commentsDecals Dumped: Ala. County Agrees To Remove Biblical Verse Stickers From Police Carshttp://www.au.org/blogs/wall-of-separation/decals-dumped-ala-county-agrees-to-remove-biblical-verse-stickers-from
<a href="/about/people/simon-brown">Simon Brown</a><div class="field field-name-field-blog-type field-type-taxonomy-term-reference field-label-hidden"><div class="field-items"><div class="field-item even"><a href="/blogs/wall-of-separation">Wall of Separation</a></div></div></div><div class="field field-name-field-callout field-type-text-long field-label-hidden"><div class="field-items"><div class="field-item even">Given the legal precedent, Americans United felt it had a strong case here. Unlike the inclusion of “In God We Trust” on money, which several federal courts have deemed an acceptable form of “ceremonial deism,” the inclusion of a Bible verse on police cars incorporated into the department’s official seal left little doubt that the sheriff sought to promote belief over non-belief.</div></div></div><div class="field field-name-body field-type-text-with-summary field-label-hidden"><div class="prose"><p>Stickers with biblical verses <a href="http://www.al.com/news/montgomery/index.ssf/2015/09/blessed_are_the_peacemakers_de.html">will no longer be attached to police cars</a> in an Alabama county thanks to Americans United.</p><p>The Houston County Sheriff’s Department put stickers on its vehicles that read “Blessed Are The Peacemakers,” from Matthew 5:9. That message encircled the official badge of the department. After Americans United got word of this clear instance of government endorsing religion, it sent a complaint letter to the sheriff’s department in early August. (The Wisconsin-based Freedom From Religion Foundation later sent a letter as well.)</p><p>The Dothan <em>Eagle</em> reported that on Tuesday, Houston County Administrator Bill Dempsey advised Sheriff Donald Valenza to ditch the decals. Valenza did so, though he has thus far declined comment on the matter.</p><p>Unsurprisingly, Dempsey said he made the decision based on practicality – not because it was the right thing to do constitutionally.</p><p>“We have been in meetings with the sheriff for the past week, and we told him we support what’s written on the stickers and we support the spirit of it,” Dempsey said. “But unfortunately, from a legal perspective, we could spend hundreds of thousands and still likely lose.”</p><p>Dempsey was right about likely losing money. In its letter to Dempsey and Valenza, Americans United explained that “[t]he incorporation of a Biblical quotation into an official Sheriff’s Office seal runs afoul of numerous court rulings striking down governmental seals that incorporate religious imagery or messages.”</p><p><a href="http://www.au.org/files/Dothan%20AL%20Religious%20decal%20on%20sheriff%20patrol%20cars.pdf">AU’s letter</a> also noted that Valenza made it clear that <a href="http://www.dothaneagle.com/news/government/houston-co-sheriff-donald-valenza-stands-behind-biblical-peacemakers-decals/article_7444c306-46c8-11e5-810f-ff99fce8b8b2.html">he supported the message on the stickers</a>, which could give the impression that those who believe in God will receive better treatment from the county sheriff’s department than atheists.</p><p>“Really, it was for morale,” Valenza said in August, during one of his few interviews about the decals. “It’s for (officer) encouragement.” </p><p>Given the legal precedent, Americans United felt it had a strong case here. Unlike the inclusion of “In God We Trust” on money, which several federal courts have deemed an acceptable form of “<a href="https://au.org/church-state/march-2015-church-state/featured/symbols-and-civil-religion">ceremonial deism</a>,” the inclusion of a Bible verse on police cars incorporated into the department’s official seal left little doubt that the sheriff sought to promote belief over non-belief.</p><p>While this case presented favorable facts for defenders of church-state separation, it is part of <a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/acts-of-faith/wp/2015/08/05/why-officers-are-putting-in-god-we-trust-bumper-stickers-on-their-patrol-cars/">a worrisome trend</a> in which police departments nationwide are placing religious messages on their vehicles.</p><p>In recent months, stickers bearing the words “In God We Trust” have appeared on police cars in several states, including Illinois, Kentucky and North Carolina, leaving critics to wonder about the cause of this troubling church-state trend.</p><p><em>The Washington Post</em> reported in August that it’s hard to pin down who first got the idea for the stickers, but they seem to be spreading thanks to social media. In Florida, Bay County Sheriff Frank McKeithen said about 30 agencies in the area have adopted the decals. He was inspired to print 200 bumper stickers bearing “In God We Trust” after he received an e-mail that contained the phrase.</p><p>“It’s just right now it seems like in our country law enforcement has been painted with a brush that we’re bad guys,” McKeithen told <em>The Post</em>. “So I was trying to think of something that might set a fire to our guys. We want to be proud and we want people to be proud of us, and we know we’re better than how people portray us.”</p><p>An anonymous donor paid for the stickers, <em>The Post</em> reported, and McKeithen’s deputies distributed nearly 800 of them to residents.</p><p>In Missouri, Stone County Sheriff Doug Rader said he put the “In God We Trust” stickers on cars in his department after learning of them from Green County Sheriff Jim Arnott.</p><p>“There has been no better time than now to proudly display our national motto,” Rader told the Stone County <em>Chronicle</em>. “I’m very humbled at the amount of support behind it.”</p><p>Americans United does not agree that “In God We Trust” is merely ceremonial and deistic, but the matter is difficult to challenge in court because the precedent isn’t favorable to us. But specific Bible verses are a different matter – they’re clearly sectarian. They belong on church marquees, not plastered on the vehicles of public safety officers who are supposed to protect and serve us all.</p></div></div><div class="tags clearfix"><div class="field-label">Issues:&nbsp;</div><div class="field-items"><span class="field-item"><a href="/issues/government-sponsored-religious-displays">Government-Sponsored Religious Displays</a></span>, <span class="field-item"><a href="/issues/religious-mottos-pledges-and-resolutions">Religious Mottos, Pledges and Resolutions</a></span></div></div><div class="tags clearfix"><div class="field-label">Tags:&nbsp;</div><div class="field-items"><span class="field-item"><a href="/tags/houston-county-sheriffs-department">Houston County Sheriff&#039;s Department</a></span>, <span class="field-item"><a href="/tags/alabama">Alabama</a></span>, <span class="field-item"><a href="/tags/god-we-trust">in god we trust</a></span>, <span class="field-item"><a href="/tags/blessed-be-the-peacemakers">Blessed Be The Peacemakers</a></span>, <span class="field-item"><a href="/tags/ceremonial-deism">Ceremonial Deism</a></span>, <span class="field-item"><a href="/tags/bill-dempsey">Bill Dempsey</a></span>, <span class="field-item"><a href="/tags/donald-valenza">Donald Valenza</a></span></div></div>Thu, 01 Oct 2015 15:37:07 +0000Simon Brown11460 at http://www.au.orghttp://www.au.org/blogs/wall-of-separation/decals-dumped-ala-county-agrees-to-remove-biblical-verse-stickers-from#comments‘In God We Trust’ Stickers Appearing On Police Cars Nationwidehttp://www.au.org/church-state/october-2015-church-state/people-events/in-god-we-trust-stickers-appearing-on-police
<div class="field field-name-body field-type-text-with-summary field-label-hidden"><div class="prose"><p>In recent months, stickers bearing the words “In God We Trust” have appeared on police cars in several states, including Illinois, Kentucky and North Carolina, leaving critics to wonder about the cause of this troubling church-state trend.</p><p><em>The Washington Post</em> reported in August that the stickers are of an unknown origin, but they seem to be spreading thanks to social media and individuals in some police departments. In Florida, Bay County Sheriff Frank McKeithen said about 30 agencies in the area have adopted the decals. He was inspired to print bumper stickers bearing “In God We Trust” after he received an e-mail that contained the phrase.</p><p>“It’s just right now it seems like in our country law enforcement has been painted with a brush that we’re bad guys,” McKeithen told <em>The Post</em>. “So I was trying to think of something that might set a fire to our guys. We want to be proud and we want people to be proud of us, and we know we’re better than how people portray us.”</p><p>An anonymous donor paid for the stickers, <em>The Post</em> reported, and McKeithen’s deputies distributed nearly 800 of them to residents.</p><p>“You don’t have to be a Chris­tian to trust in God, because you think of all the people in this world that bad things happen to them and at the last moment, they say, ‘Oh God; please God help me,’” McKeithen added.</p><p>In Missouri, Stone County Sheriff Doug Rader said he put the “In God We Trust” stickers on cars in his department after learning of them from Green County Sheriff Jim Arnott.</p><p>“There has been no better time than now to proudly display our national motto,” Rader told the Stone County <em>Chronicle</em>. “I’m very humbled at the amount of support behind it.”</p><p>But not everyone is pleased that the stickers have found their way onto police cars. An organization called The Original Motto Project has offered to provide stickers reading <em>E Pluribus Unum </em>(“Out of Many, One”) in Bonifay, Fla., where the police department has chosen to use “In God We Trust” stickers, the Holmes County <em>Advertiser</em> reported.</p><p>“We feel that this phrase will provide an inclusive statement to the citizens of the city of Bonifay,” group president Robert Ray said.</p><p>Others said the religious slogan is problematic on government property.</p><p>“Society works better when state and church are kept separate because it creates a fair and equal place for all of us to live,” Wesley Wilson, who organized a protest of the use of the religious motto by the Bonifay Police Department, told the <em>Advertiser</em>. “The saying ‘In God We Trust’ that has been put on public property violates that….Law enforcement is here to serve everyone, and that saying (isn’t representative) of all who live here.”</p></div></div><div class="field field-name-field-cs-department field-type-taxonomy-term-reference field-label-hidden"><div class="field-items"><div class="field-item even">People &amp; Events</div></div></div><div class="tags clearfix"><div class="field-label">Issues:&nbsp;</div><div class="field-items"><span class="field-item"><a href="/issues/government-sponsored-religious-displays">Government-Sponsored Religious Displays</a></span>, <span class="field-item"><a href="/issues/religious-mottos-pledges-and-resolutions">Religious Mottos, Pledges and Resolutions</a></span>, <span class="field-item"><a href="/issues/outside-workplace-discrimination-exemptions-religious-practice-including-military-prisons">Institutional Discrimination, Exemptions &amp; Religious Practice (Including Military, Prisons &amp; Healthcare)</a></span></div></div><div class="field field-name-field-cs-issue field-type-node-reference field-label-above"><div class="field-label">Magazine Issue:&nbsp;</div><div class="field-items"><div class="field-item even"><article id="node-11435" class="node node-church-state-issue clearfix">
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<h2><a href="/church-state/october-2015-church-state">
The <span class="cs-month field">October</span> <span class="cs-year field"><span class="date-display-single">2015</span></span> issue of <em>Church &amp; State</em>
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<h3>Featured Articles</h3>
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<h3 class="field-content"><a href="/church-state/october-2015-church-state/featured/ten-myths-about-the-ten-commandments">Ten Myths About The Ten Commandments</a></h3>
<h4>Religious Right Groups Hold Strong Beliefs About The Decalogue, But It Turns Out That Much Of What They Know Just Isn&#039;t So</h4> </div>
<div class="views-row views-row-2 views-row-even">
<h3 class="field-content"><a href="/church-state/october-2015-church-state/featured/contemptuous-clerks">Contemptuous Clerks</a></h3>
<h4>In Kentucky, Local Officials Are Breaking The Law Rather Than Allow Same-Sex Couples To Marry</h4> </div>
<div class="views-row views-row-3 views-row-odd">
<h3 class="field-content"><a href="/church-state/october-2015-church-state/featured/discrimination-denounced">Discrimination Denounced</a></h3>
<h4>Americans United Joins A Broad Coalition Telling The White House It&#039;s Time To End Hiring Bias In The &#039;Faith-Based&#039; Initiative</h4> </div>
<div class="views-row views-row-4 views-row-even">
<h3 class="field-content"><a href="/church-state/october-2015-church-state/featured/pugnacious-plaintiff">Pugnacious Plaintiff</a></h3>
<h4>An Interview With Southern Baptist Minister Bruce Prescott, Who Successfully Challenged Government Display Of The Ten Commandments In Oklahoma</h4> </div>
<div class="views-row views-row-5 views-row-odd views-row-last">
<h3 class="field-content"><a href="/church-state/october-2015-church-state/featured/americans-united-in-action">Americans United in Action</a></h3>
<h4>Staff Members and Activists Support Church-State Separation Nationwide</h4> </div>
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<div class="cs-department" id="section-people--events"> <h3>People &amp; Events</h3>
<ul class="cs-department-list"> <li class="views-row views-row-1 views-row-odd views-row-first">
<div class="views-field views-field-title"> <span class="field-content"><a href="/church-state/october-2015-church-state/people-events/americans-united-joins-lawsuit-challenging">Americans United Joins Lawsuit Challenging Broad Nevada Voucher Program</a></span> </div></li>
<li class="views-row views-row-2 views-row-even">
<div class="views-field views-field-title"> <span class="field-content"><a href="/church-state/october-2015-church-state/people-events/au-tells-cities-to-respect-church-state">AU Tells Cities To Respect Church-State Separation During Papal Visit</a></span> </div></li>
<li class="views-row views-row-3 views-row-odd">
<div class="views-field views-field-title"> <span class="field-content"><a href="/church-state/october-2015-church-state/people-events/in-god-we-trust-stickers-appearing-on-police">‘In God We Trust’ Stickers Appearing On Police Cars Nationwide</a></span> </div></li>
<li class="views-row views-row-4 views-row-even">
<div class="views-field views-field-title"> <span class="field-content"><a href="/church-state/october-2015-church-state/people-events/defenders-of-mich-cross-lose-lawsuit-to-force">Defenders Of Mich. Cross Lose Lawsuit To Force Display Of Religious Symbol</a></span> </div></li>
<li class="views-row views-row-5 views-row-odd">
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</div></div></div><div class="tags clearfix"><div class="field-label">Tags:&nbsp;</div><div class="field-items"><span class="field-item"><a href="/tags/police">police</a></span>, <span class="field-item"><a href="/tags/god-we-trust">in god we trust</a></span></div></div>Thu, 01 Oct 2015 15:30:00 +0000Timothy Ritz11454 at http://www.au.orghttp://www.au.org/church-state/october-2015-church-state/people-events/in-god-we-trust-stickers-appearing-on-police#commentsThe Invention Of A Christian Americahttp://www.au.org/church-state/julyaugust-2015-church-state/featured/the-invention-of-a-christian-america
<div class="field field-name-body field-type-text-with-summary field-label-hidden"><div class="prose"><p><strong><em>Editor’s Note:</em></strong> <em>Steven K. Green is the Fred H. Paulus Professor of Law and director of the Center for Religion, Law &amp; Democracy at Willamette University College of Law in Salem, Oregon. Green, who served as legal director of Americans United from 1992—2001,<strong> i</strong>s the author of several books on church-state relations, most recently </em>Inventing a Christian America: The Myth of the Religious Founding <em>(Oxford University Press).</em> <em>Green dis­cussed his new book with </em>Church &amp; State<em> Editor Rob Bos­ton recently</em>.</p><p> </p><p><strong><em>Q. When did the “Christian nation” myth begin to take off in America, and why did it arise?</em></strong></p><p><strong>Green:</strong> The Christian nation myth, at least the precursor to the one of today, arose in the early decades of the 19th century as the second and third generations of Americans – those without direct, personal knowledge of the nation’s founding – sought to sanctify America’s founding and its Founders as part of establishing a national identity. </p><p>Essentially, these writers, politicians and religious figures wanted to exemplify American republicanism and distinguish it from the radical republicanism that had arisen out of the French Revolution. One way was to provide the American version with a higher meaning. They also sought explanations for the seeming miraculous events of the American Revolution and constitutional for­ma­tion. After all, how else could a fledgling nation have defeated the world’s strongest power if it hadn’t been for God’s interposing providential hand? In this effort to define what America meant and why it was special, the Christian nation myth arose: America was specially ordained by God, and its Founders and founding documents had also been inspired by God.</p><p>This impulse also arose at a time of a massive religious revival during the first third of the 19th century, commonly called the Second Great Awakening. Evangelicals believed that Am­erica had been chosen by God to usher in the second coming of Je­sus. That millennial belief also required the sanctification of the nation and its beginnings. By the second third of the century, this narrative of the Christian origins of the Uni­ted States was firmly en­trench­ed. Modern-day purveyors of the Christian na­tion account fail to understand that that perspective was not shared by the members of the founding generation and that they are relying on a na­rrative purposefully created by later generations.</p><p><strong><em>Q. Why do you think the myth has such staying power?</em></strong></p><p><strong>Green:</strong> America in practice has always been at tension with the values expressed in the Constitution and Declaration of Independence. How else can we explain slavery and the subjugation of women in the 19th century in contrast to the value of equality? In the same vein, even though the majority of early Americans supported religious disestablishment and various conceptions of church-state separation, many wanted (and still want) some affirmation of a special relationship between America and God. Many people still seek explanations for Am­erica’s successes (usually ignoring its failings) and desire to see America as unique and special. They view Christianity as having a positive impact on the culture and public policy and worry about the implications of secularism. Taken together, these people are uneasy about the implications of church-state separation.</p><p>The myth has such staying power because the idea of America’s religious origins can mean different things to different people. For some, it simply means that God showed his blessing on the Founding and continues to bless America today. For others, it means that religion played a leading role in the Revolution and constitutional formation, inspiring the actors in their tasks. For still others, it means that the basis for republican and constitutional principles is found in Christianity, and that the Founders consciously relied on those Christian principles in their work. Thus the myth has a protean quality to it and can appeal to a large number of people at least on an abstract level.</p><p><strong><em>Q. Our Constitution is secular and doesn’t even contain a generic reference to God in the body of the text. Was that deliberate? How unusual was it to have a secular constitution in the late 18th century?</em></strong></p><p><strong>Green:</strong> I believe the omission of a reference to God was deliberate, although I would not go so far as to say the drafters intended to make it an anti-religious document. The drafters knew about the religious diversity of the new nation and understood the highly divisive nature of religion. James Madison wrote several times about the dangers of political and religious sectarianism for republican governments. The delegates to the Convention had a lot on their plate, seeking consensus on important issues of representation and balance of powers. Introducing religion into the Convention would have been highly divisive and possibly scuttled the enterprise. In addition, a smaller but not insignificant number of delegates believed that government and religious authority should be completely and permanently divorced. They knew the lessons of history and understood that they were charting a new course, one never undertaken before in western history. The secularity of the Constitution and government it established are best demonstrated by the no-religious test clause, a remarkable achievement for the time as it disabused old assumptions about the necessity of religion for good government.</p><p><strong><em>Q. Most of the people who peddle the “Christian nation” myth are not historians and academics. (David Barton is an example.) How is the “Christian nation” thesis regarded in academic circles these days?</em></strong></p><p><strong>Green:</strong> I know of no reputable academic who embraces Barton’s conclusions or his “historical method” of proof texting. It is not history but propaganda masquerading as history. Unfortunately, Barton’s method and conclusions are so discredited that scholars tend to ignore him and disregard his influence in certain circles. In addition, Barton and other Christian nationalists gain mileage from a group of conservative scholars who promote a view of a more Christian-inspired founding and who argue that most of the Founders held more conventional Christian beliefs than is commonly argued.</p><p><em><strong>Q. When we discuss the founders, one often hears a lot about Deism. This belief system has fallen out of favor today. What is Deism and how much influence did it have over the framers?</strong></em></p><p><strong>Green:</strong> Deism – the belief of a detached God who established rational laws of nature that could be deduced through reason, rather than revelation – was highly influential among members of the founding generation as it accorded with the prevailing Enlightenment thought of the day. That said, few if any of the Founders were actual “deists” – only Benjamin Franklin described himself as a deist – but were rational theists who sought to incorporate reason into their own belief systems. Usually this meant assessing scripture through the lens of reason, rejecting or severely limiting those miraculous and superstitious parts of the Bible.</p><p><em><strong>Q. Let’s talk about some specific founders. George Washington is something of an enigma when it comes to religion. He is often depicted in pietistic ways in popular iconography. (The painting of him praying in the snow at Valley Forge is a good example.) Yet we know that his views were hardly evangelical. What has your research uncovered about Washington and religion? </strong></em></p><p><strong>Green: </strong>Washington was a humanistic latitudinarian – emphasizing those commonalities among various religions and abjuring sectarian differences. Though a member of the Church of England, he was a rational theist in his approach to Christian doctrines, likely denying many traditional doctrines such as the virgin birth and the miracles. Still, he believed in a general providence toward the nation (and sometimes a particular providence con­­­­cerning himself). He was not orthodox for the day, and by contemporary standards, he may not have even been a Christian in the traditional sense.</p><p><strong><em>Q. Thomas Jefferson is another founder whose views are often warped by the Religious Right. We know that Jefferson was not an orthodox Christian, and of course he coined the metaphor of the “wall of separation between church and state.” Yet we hear some conservatives today claim that Jefferson didn’t really support church-state separation. How do you respond to this?</em></strong></p><p><strong>Green:</strong> Any fair analysis of the body of Jefferson’s work should lead to the conclusion that he advocated a strong version of church-state separation. Jefferson believed that religion corrupted government, that government manipulated religion for its ends, and that institutional religion had corrupted the essence of Christianity. Certainly there are some inconsistencies in his actions (as there would be of any political figure), but those are seen mainly from a 21st century perspective. His actions and positions need to be judged by the standards of the day, and he needs to be understood for how far he had deviated from the status quo.</p><p><strong><em>Q. Some Religious Right activists point to things like the national motto “In God We Trust” and “under God” on currency as proof of our country’s religious underpinnings. What do you think of this argument? </em></strong></p><p><strong>Green:</strong> Such declarations mean nothing more than the expressed opinion of the particular Congress that made them. Both phrases did not originate during the founding period, with the phrase appearing on coins during the Civil War, while its placement on paper currency, as well as the adoption of the national motto, occurred during the Cold War of the 1950s. These are not proofs of the nation’s religious underpinnings.</p><p><strong><em>Q. I’m going to ask you to speculate a bit. The most recent Pew Forum survey shows the number of Christians in America at an all-time low (70 percent). At the same time, the number of people who say they have no religion is rising. How will the changing religious landscape of America affect the “Christian nation” myth? Will the time come when it can finally be discarded?</em></strong></p><p><strong>Green:</strong> I believe the idea is becoming less important for younger generations, and is even anathema to the increasing number of non-Christians in the United States. As religious pluralism increases, I hope the idea will die away, as it remains contentious and divisive. However, some conservative Christians will cling onto the idea even more fiercely when they perceive that they are on the losing end of America’s changing religious demographics. </p></div></div><h3 >Scholar Steven K. Green Explores The Origins Of The ‘Christian Nation’&nbsp;Myth</h3><div class="field field-name-field-cs-department field-type-taxonomy-term-reference field-label-hidden"><div class="field-items"><div class="field-item even">Featured</div></div></div><div class="tags clearfix"><div class="field-label">Issues:&nbsp;</div><div class="field-items"><span class="field-item"><a href="/issues/descriptions-and-activities-religious-right-groups">Descriptions and Activities of Religious Right Groups</a></span>, <span class="field-item"><a href="/issues/responding-common-attacks-church-state-separation">Responding to Common Attacks on Church-State Separation</a></span>, <span class="field-item"><a href="/issues/history-and-origins-church-state-separation">History and Origins of Church-State Separation</a></span>, <span class="field-item"><a href="/issues/legal-foundations-church-state-separation">Legal Foundations of Church-State Separation</a></span></div></div><div class="field field-name-field-cs-issue field-type-node-reference field-label-above"><div class="field-label">Magazine Issue:&nbsp;</div><div class="field-items"><div class="field-item even"><article id="node-11219" class="node node-church-state-issue clearfix">
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<h2><a href="/church-state/julyaugust-2015-church-state">
The <span class="cs-month field">July/August</span> <span class="cs-year field"><span class="date-display-single">2015</span></span> issue of <em>Church &amp; State</em>
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<h4>As Denominational Ties In The United States Fray, The Religious Right Clings To The Idea That The United States Is An Officially ‘Christian Nation’</h4> </div>
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<h3 class="field-content"><a href="/church-state/julyaugust-2015-church-state/featured/the-invention-of-a-christian-america">The Invention Of A Christian America</a></h3>
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</div></div></div><div class="tags clearfix"><div class="field-label">Tags:&nbsp;</div><div class="field-items"><span class="field-item"><a href="/tags/christian-nation">christian nation</a></span>, <span class="field-item"><a href="/tags/christian-nation-myth">Christian nation myth</a></span>, <span class="field-item"><a href="/tags/steven-k-green-0">Steven K. Green</a></span>, <span class="field-item"><a href="/tags/david-barton">David Barton</a></span>, <span class="field-item"><a href="/tags/god-we-trust">in god we trust</a></span>, <span class="field-item"><a href="/tags/under-god">under god</a></span></div></div>Wed, 01 Jul 2015 09:00:00 +0000Timothy Ritz11222 at http://www.au.orghttp://www.au.org/church-state/julyaugust-2015-church-state/featured/the-invention-of-a-christian-america#commentsSymbols and Civil Religionhttp://www.au.org/church-state/march-2015-church-state/featured/symbols-and-civil-religion
<div class="field field-name-body field-type-text-with-summary field-label-hidden"><div class="prose"><p>Some very powerful people in the United States see absolutely nothing wrong with generalized government endorsement of religious belief.</p><p>“I think the main fight is to dissuade Americans from what the secularists are trying to persuade them to be true: that the separation of church and state means that the government cannot favor religion over non-religion,” U.S. Supreme Court Justice Antonin Scalia said in an Oct. 1 speech at Colorado Christian University. “We do Him [God] honor in our Pledge of Allegiance, in all our public ceremonies. There’s nothing wrong with that. It is in the best of American traditions, and don’t let anybody tell you otherwise. I think we have to fight that tendency of the secularists to impose it on all of us through the Constitution.”</p><p>Scalia, a staunch Catholic known for his hostility toward strict church-state separation, has at times promoted a doctrine called “ceremonial deism” – a term generally interpreted to mean government endorsement of generic forms of religion for mostly ceremonial purposes.</p><p>Ceremonial deism, also sometimes called “civil religion,” is a phrase coined by Eugene Rostow, former dean of Yale Law School, in a 1962 lecture. Rostow defined the term as government-sponsored religious speech that was “so conventional and uncontroversial as to be constitutional.”</p><p>The term was cited by the U.S. Supreme Court in the 1984 case <em>Lynch v. Donnelly</em>. In that 5-4 decision, the high court said a government-sponsored nativity scene that also included reindeer and candy canes was constitutional.</p><p>In <em>Lynch</em>, the phrase actually appeared in the dissent by Justice Wil­liam Brennan. Although generally a strong supporter of church-state separation, Brennan wrote that some religious displays could be permissible under the First Amendment. He asserted that certain official mentions of a deity, including the use of “In God We Trust” as the national motto, “can best be understood, in Dean Rostow’s apt phrase, as a form of ‘ceremonial deism,’ protected from [legal] scrutiny chiefly because they have lost through rote repetition any significant religious content.”</p><p>But much has changed since Rostow’s speech and even since the <em>Lynch</em> ruling. An America that was once largely Protestant and church-going has become more diverse and more secular; church membership rates have plummeted, and growing numbers of Americans call themselves “spiritual but not religious.” In light of these changes, more and more critics are asking if ceremonial deism has outlived its usefulness – and if it ever had any.</p><p>Over the years, the concept has been employed by the Supreme Court and lower federal courts to create carve-outs and exemptions for government-sponsored religion. That has led to an increase in official endorsement of faith over non-faith, with some opponents arguing that the nation’s <em>de facto</em> established religion is a watered-down endorsement of a generic god.</p><p>The high court seems to allow this creeping ceremonial deism based on the assumption that no one is truly harmed by it. But as the nation becomes more diverse and the percentage of “nones” – those who say they hold no formal religious beliefs – continues to rise, more and more people are questioning the assertion that generic religiosity isn’t a problem.</p><p>“Nearly everyone is harmed by ceremonial deism rulings,” Roy Speckhardt, executive director of the American Humanist Association, told <em>Church &amp; State</em>. “Atheists and humanists are considered second-class citizens whose families’ opinions are disregarded in an attempt to appease the majority. Progressive religious folks who don’t want government intruding into the religious sphere are ignored. Strongly faithful folks see their faith diminished as ceremonial.”</p><p>As the concept of ceremonial deism grew, it was seized upon by the conservative wing of the court to put a stamp of approval on questionable practices that go way beyond a reference to God on a dollar bill. </p><p>When the Supreme Court considered the Americans United-sponsored case <em>Town of</em> <em>Greece v. Galloway</em> last year and ultimately decided that local governments may open meetings with prayers that are predominantly Christian, it did so partly on the basis of America’s supposed “tradition” of legislative prayer.</p><p>Writing for the 5-4 majority, Justice Anthony Kennedy opined, “Legislative prayer, while religious in nature, has long been understood as compatible with the [First Amendment].”</p><p>Kennedy noted that an early Senate chaplain, the Rev. William White, “gave prayers in a series that included the Lord’s Prayer, the Collect for Ash Wednesday, prayers for peace and grace, a general thanksgiving, St. Chry­­sostom’s Prayer, and a prayer seeking ‘the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, &amp;c.’ The decidedly Christian nature of these prayers must not be dismissed as the relic of a time when our Nation was less pluralistic than it is today.”</p><p>White, an Episcopalian who was the first Bishop of Pennsylvania, became Senate Chaplain in 1790 and served in that post until 1800. In Kennedy’s mind, being one of the first in that position apparently gave White the right to establish prayer protocol for the next 200 years – even though the Constitution grants no government employees such privilege.</p><p>Michael I. Meyerson, a law professor at the University of Baltimore whose book <em>Endowed by Our Creator: The Birth of Religious Freedom in America</em>, was quoted (or in Meyerson’s view, misquoted) by Kennedy in his <em>Greece</em> opinion, told <em>Church &amp; State</em> that the high court got it all wrong.</p><p>“<em>Greece</em>, that’s just an easy case,” Meyerson said. “Everyone agrees that’s a bad decision.”</p><p>The reason the Supreme Court got it wrong, Meyerson said, is because of a failure by the majority of the justices to distinguish between respectful and disrespectful intent. Meyerson said he thinks some forms of ceremonial deism are respectful and therefore are permissible under the Constitution, such as when sessions of the Supreme Court open with a traditional chant that ends in “God save the United States and this honorable court!” But when the town of Greece chose to open its meetings with predominantly Christian prayers, that was another matter.</p><p>“There is no doubt the town of Greece was wrong because there is no doubt it was forcing religion on its citizens,” Meyerson said.</p><p>It is in this world governed by ceremonial deism and tradition that we now reside – and that isn’t always a good thing for anyone who values church-state separation.</p><p>Among the best-known “traditions” in the United States is the National Day of Prayer (NDP). The NDP dates all the way back to 1952, when President Harry S. Truman signed a joint congressional resolution to create it. But it was not until 1988 that President Ronald W. Reagan signed a law establishing the NDP on the first Thursday in May. Since then, presidents have issued a proclamation on that day annually in which they encourage the entire nation to pray to God.</p><p>In 2014, President Barack Obama’s proclamation read in part, “I invite the citizens of our Nation to give thanks, in accordance with their own faiths and consciences, for our many freedoms and blessings, and I join all people of faith in asking for God’s continued guidance, mercy, and protection as we seek a more just world.” </p><p>These types of government-backed calls to prayer are common at the state level as well. In conjunction with the NDP, governors typically issue prayer proclamations of their own. Critics say these are every bit as problematic as the president’s version because they encourage citizens, even non-believers, to pray and engage in other religious activities. The implication, secular-minded people say, is that those who choose not to participate are somehow lesser citizens.</p><p>In Colorado, for example, Gov. John Hickenlooper’s 2013 proclamation described prayer as a unifying force – and included a Bible verse.</p><p>The official proclamation lauded that the theme of the 2013 prayer day was “Pray for America” and noted that it was “supported by Matthew 12:21, which reminds us that ‘in His name nations will put their hope.’”</p><p>It went on to declare that “on this day, individuals across the state and nation will unite in prayer for our country, our people and our leaders….”</p><p>There are even some local-level proclamations. Consider a recent case in Alabama, in which a town proclaimed that it has a celestial landlord. In December, the Winfield City Council unanimously passed a resolution that “God is the owner of the City of Winfield and that it is a City under God. We acknowledge that at all times, He is in control.”</p><p>Although Winfield is a town of just 4,600 people, not everyone there was receptive to the council’s message. Adam Adkins, a resident who identifies as atheist, told <em>Church &amp; State</em> that he now feels unwelcome in the community.</p><p>“The moment that Winfield declared Christianity for its citizens is, by default, the moment that the government acknowledged other religions are wrong, thus making the individuals following those religions second-class citizens,” he said.</p><p>Mayor Randy Price nonetheless explained this bizarre declaration to the news website AL.com: “I feel like we need to stand up for what is right. Our forefathers said ‘One nation under God’ and we went so far away from that. There are not enough godly people involved in day-to-day decisions.”</p><p>Price, like a lot of Americans, seems confused about the origins of the phrase “One Nation Under God.” Contrary to his assertion, “under God” wasn’t added to the Pledge of Allegiance until 1954, and “In God We Trust” didn’t become the national motto until 1956 – more than 100 years after the Founding Fathers had died.</p><p>This inconvenient history hasn’t prevented some politicians from slapping “In God We Trust,” on as many city and county seals as they are able. One of the leaders of this movement is Jacquie Sullivan, a member of the city council in Bakersfield, Calif. Almost 15 years ago, Sullivan decided that every U.S. city and county should display signs reading, “In God We Trust.”</p><p>Sullivan got started by promoting the idea to local officials in her home state, but soon the movement had gone nationwide through a group she formed called In God We Trust-America, Inc. Sullivan has been very successful: At press time, her group’s website reported that 480 cities and counties display “In God We Trust” in some form.</p><p>Of course, not everyone agrees with Sullivan and her allies. In Allegheny County, Pa., for example, the county council voted 8-6 in 2014 not to display “In God We Trust” at the county courthouse.</p><p>Still others are taking to the courts to push back against ceremonial deism and supposed traditions of prayer – but without success. Atheist activist Michael Newdow has contested several instances of the federal government’s endorsement of belief over non-belief, including multiple lawsuits throughout the 2000s over the “In God We Trust” motto, “under God” in the Pledge of Allegiance and official prayers at presidential inaugurations.</p><p>Although the cases have not been successful, they do provide an insight into how courts view ceremonial deism. Increasingly, they are arguing that the use of phrases that contain references to a deity aren’t really religious!</p><p>“We hold that the Pledge of Allegiance does not violate the Establishment Clause because Congress’ ostensible and predominant purpose was to inspire patriotism and that the context of the Pledge – its wording as a whole, the preamble to the statute, and this nation’s history – demonstrate that it is a predominantly patriotic exercise,” said the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in a majority opinion for <em>Newdow v. Carey</em> in 2010. “For these reasons, the phrase ‘one Nation under God’ does not turn this patriotic exercise into a religious activity.” </p><p>The following year, a panel of judges from the same appeals court dimissed a challenge to “In God We Trust” on U.S. currency. In the decision for <em>Newdow v. Lefevre</em>, Judge Carlos Bea wrote that the motto has a “patriotic or ceremonial character” and “has no theological or ritualistic impact.”</p><p>Language like this – which states that phrases that invoke the name of God no longer have religious meaning – should alarm religious conservatives. But it doesn’t. Religious Right groups have gone to the mat time and again to save ceremonial deism in court.</p><p>It’s often difficult these days to even secure the right to challenge ceremonial design in court. In a case challenging National Day of Prayer proclamations by Colorado governors, the Wisconsin-based Freedom From Religion Foundation found the courthouse door slammed in its face. The case, <em>Hickenlooper v. Freedom From Religion Foundation</em>, was tossed in January when the state’s top court said the group didn’t have the right to bring it.</p><p>“Although we do not question the sincerity of Respondents’ feelings, without more, their circuitous exposure to the honorary proclamations and concomitant belief that the proclamations expressed the Governor’s preference for religion is simply too indirect and incidental an injury to confer individual standing,” state Supreme Court Chief Justice Nancy E. Rice wrote.</p><p>That type of reasoning could make it hard to challenge even the Winfield, Ala., proclamation. Almost immediately after the city was formally handed over to God, the American Civil Liberties Union of Alabama sent a letter explaining that the city council’s action likely violated the U.S. Constitution.</p><p>“As public officials sworn to uphold and defend the United States Constitution, I am sure that you are aware that the First Amendment prohibits government from taking any action toward establishment of religion,” ACLU Alabama Legal Director Randall C. Marshall said in the letter. “The Constitution protects private assertions of faith, but absolutely prohibits govern­ment involvement in those same matters. That prohibition extends both to religion in general and to particular belief systems such as Christianity. That the resolution is generic does not matter.”</p><p>But in court, the alleged generic nature of the proclamation and the excuse that it doesn’t actually require anyone to do anything might be enough to kill a legal challenge.</p><p>Motivated by courts’ unwillingness to take ceremonial deism seriously, those who seek carve outs from the principle of church-state separation have become increasingly brazen in their efforts to classify obvious religious symbols as generic objects fit for government use.</p><p>Recently, the federal government has argued that a towering Latin cross that sits atop Mt. Soledad in California is a generic symbol of military sacrifice – even though the Latin cross is the most recognizable symbol of Christianity.</p><p>In a legal brief filed in December on behalf of military historians in the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals, Americans United said the Latin cross is a powerful symbol of the Christian religion that has rarely if ever been used by the military to mark the permanent graves of non-Christian soldiers. (The case, <em>Trunk v. City of San Diego</em>, has been ongoing for more than 20 years and remains pending.)</p><p>Observers agree that confusion is likely to abound on religious issues until courts begin taking challenges to ceremonial deism seriously and stop saying that some violation of church-state separation can be excused on the grounds of tradition.</p><p>“The justices proposed ceremonial deism but haven’t adopted a single standard,” Meyerson said. “It’s a hopeless muddle.”</p><p>Others expressed hope that ceremonial deism will one day be cast aside.</p><p>“I’m convinced that the rise of ceremonial deism won’t survive serious legal challenges,” Speckhardt said. “By arguing to preserve First Amendment separation of church and state, and also arguing for 14th Amendment equal protection rights for non-theists, the forced illogic of ceremonial deism will be undone.” </p></div></div><a href="/about/people/simon-brown">Simon Brown</a><h3 >Courts Have Tended To Uphold ‘Ceremonial’ Uses Of Religion By The Government, But Critics Say It’s Time To&nbsp;Reassess</h3><div class="field field-name-field-cs-department field-type-taxonomy-term-reference field-label-hidden"><div class="field-items"><div class="field-item even">Featured</div></div></div><div class="tags clearfix"><div class="field-label">Issues:&nbsp;</div><div class="field-items"><span class="field-item"><a href="/issues/prayer-at-government-events-and-legislative-meetings">Prayer at Government Events and Legislative Meetings</a></span>, <span class="field-item"><a href="/issues/government-sponsored-religious-displays">Government-Sponsored Religious Displays</a></span>, <span class="field-item"><a href="/issues/religious-mottos-pledges-and-resolutions">Religious Mottos, Pledges and Resolutions</a></span></div></div><div class="field field-name-field-cs-issue field-type-node-reference field-label-above"><div class="field-label">Magazine Issue:&nbsp;</div><div class="field-items"><div class="field-item even"><article id="node-10903" class="node node-church-state-issue clearfix">
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<h2><a href="/church-state/march-2015-church-state">
The <span class="cs-month field">March</span> <span class="cs-year field"><span class="date-display-single">2015</span></span> issue of <em>Church &amp; State</em>
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<h4>Courts Have Tended To Uphold ‘Ceremonial’ Uses Of Religion By The Government, But Critics Say It’s Time To Reassess</h4> </div>
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</div></div></div><div class="tags clearfix"><div class="field-label">Tags:&nbsp;</div><div class="field-items"><span class="field-item"><a href="/tags/civil-religion">civil religion</a></span>, <span class="field-item"><a href="/tags/national-day-prayer">National Day of Prayer</a></span>, <span class="field-item"><a href="/tags/god-we-trust">in god we trust</a></span>, <span class="field-item"><a href="/tags/pledge-allegiance">Pledge of Allegiance</a></span></div></div>Mon, 02 Mar 2015 15:15:00 +0000Timothy Ritz10905 at http://www.au.orghttp://www.au.org/church-state/march-2015-church-state/featured/symbols-and-civil-religion#commentsKy. Legislature Votes To Display ‘In God We Trust’ Signshttp://www.au.org/church-state/february-2015-church-state/au-bulletin/ky-legislature-votes-to-display-in-god-we-trust
<div class="field field-name-body field-type-text-with-summary field-label-hidden"><div class="prose"><p>Eleven legislative rooms in the Kentucky Statehouse will display signs reading “In God We Trust” thanks to a private donor.</p><p>The Lexington <em>Herald-Leader </em>reports that the signs are a temporary measure, and they will eventually be replaced by permanent displays that will show an updated version of the state seal in addition to the national motto. The Kentucky legislature passed a measure calling for the signs in 2006.</p><p>Kentucky Senate President, Robert Stivers (R-Manchester) gave an explicitly sectarian rationale for the measure.</p><p>“This is America,” he said. “I feel like this nation was and is established by God. We need to show the same respect in the committee rooms that we show in the Senate and House chambers.”</p><p>Stivers added that he was working on a “religious freedom” bill to introduce in the legislature this year.</p><p>But church-state separation advocates questioned the move, while noting that the courts have ruled the national motto is constitutional. Rob Boston, Americans United’s communications director, explained the group’s position to the <em>Herald-Leader</em>. “We just believe that government is supposed to represent everyone — the religious and non-religious,” he said.</p><p>The ACLU’s Kentucky affiliate agreed. “But separation of church and state is one of the basic principles in our country,” said spokeswoman Amber Duke. “It protects both religious and non-religious persons.”</p><p>Duke also suggested that a non-profit called “In God We Trust” encouraged the legislature to display the signs, noting the group had been “shopping these signs around to legislators in various states.”</p></div></div><div class="field field-name-field-cs-department field-type-taxonomy-term-reference field-label-hidden"><div class="field-items"><div class="field-item even">AU Bulletin</div></div></div><div class="tags clearfix"><div class="field-label">Issues:&nbsp;</div><div class="field-items"><span class="field-item"><a href="/issues/government-sponsored-religious-displays">Government-Sponsored Religious Displays</a></span>, <span class="field-item"><a href="/issues/religious-mottos-pledges-and-resolutions">Religious Mottos, Pledges and Resolutions</a></span></div></div><div class="field field-name-field-cs-issue field-type-node-reference field-label-above"><div class="field-label">Magazine Issue:&nbsp;</div><div class="field-items"><div class="field-item even"><article id="node-10837" class="node node-church-state-issue clearfix">
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</div></div></div><div class="tags clearfix"><div class="field-label">Tags:&nbsp;</div><div class="field-items"><span class="field-item"><a href="/tags/kentucky">kentucky</a></span>, <span class="field-item"><a href="/tags/god-we-trust">in god we trust</a></span></div></div>Mon, 02 Feb 2015 15:45:00 +0000Timothy Ritz10849 at http://www.au.orghttp://www.au.org/church-state/february-2015-church-state/au-bulletin/ky-legislature-votes-to-display-in-god-we-trust#commentsMo. City Rejects ‘In God We Trust’ Displayhttp://www.au.org/church-state/november-2014-church-state/au-bulletin/mo-city-rejects-in-god-we-trust-display
<div class="field field-name-body field-type-text-with-summary field-label-hidden"><div class="prose"><p>Officials in Ballwin, Mo., have voted 6-2 not to accept a donation to display the motto “In God We Trust” in its board room.</p><p>The St. Louis <em>Post-Dispatch </em>reported that the Holy Infant Parish and Knights of Columbus offered to donate $750 to pay for the sign, with supporters arguing that the motto merely represents patriotism, and not religious fervor. A spokesman for the Knights of Columbus noted that the motto was adopted in the 1950s and is historical, rather than religious.</p><p>Cynthia Holmes, the president of Americans United’s St. Louis Chapter, testified against the display and told the board that she was “shocked at the notion” that “In God We Trust” isn’t religious.</p><p>“I reminded them that their responsibility was to all Ballwin residents, and they should not do anything that would make any feel excluded,” she said later.</p><p>Several members of the Board of Aldermen agreed, expressing concern that displaying “In God We Trust” would have a divisive effect on the local community. They instead backed the city’s non-sectarian motto, “Bringing People Together.” </p></div></div><div class="field field-name-field-cs-department field-type-taxonomy-term-reference field-label-hidden"><div class="field-items"><div class="field-item even">AU Bulletin</div></div></div><div class="tags clearfix"><div class="field-label">Issues:&nbsp;</div><div class="field-items"><span class="field-item"><a href="/issues/government-sponsored-religious-displays">Government-Sponsored Religious Displays</a></span></div></div><div class="field field-name-field-cs-issue field-type-node-reference field-label-above"><div class="field-label">Magazine Issue:&nbsp;</div><div class="field-items"><div class="field-item even"><article id="node-10638" class="node node-church-state-issue clearfix">
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</div></div></div><div class="tags clearfix"><div class="field-label">Tags:&nbsp;</div><div class="field-items"><span class="field-item"><a href="/tags/knights-of-columbus">Knights of Columbus</a></span>, <span class="field-item"><a href="/tags/god-we-trust">in god we trust</a></span></div></div>Mon, 03 Nov 2014 15:54:24 +0000Timothy Ritz10652 at http://www.au.orghttp://www.au.org/church-state/november-2014-church-state/au-bulletin/mo-city-rejects-in-god-we-trust-display#comments